The Hudson River Park presents the Submerge Marine Science Festival, which explores NYC's coastal waterways.Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
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29 Best Things To Do in NYC October 2023 with Kids

Carnegie Hall goes crazy for hip-hop, with a 50th anniversary celebration of the genre for little ones and their families Saturday, October 7. Photo by Jennifer Taylor
Carnegie Hall goes crazy for hip-hop, with a 50th anniversary celebration of the genre for little ones and their families Saturday, October 7. Photo by Jennifer Taylor
9/29/23 - By Drew Kristofik

Halloween is the name of the game in October, which means New York City is alive with pumpkin patches, haunted houses, fall festivals, and of course trick-or-treating—so many opportunities to wear Halloween costumes!

We're super psyched for all the glorious shenanigans October has in store, including the Atlantic Antic, a Maker Faire on Coney Island, and New York Comic Con.

Of course, Halloween lurks at month's end, and, never fear, we have you covered when it comes to FREE Halloween fun, including a Mommy Poppins + Seaport Kids Halloween party. Find all our top picks for the spooky season in our New York City Halloween Guide.

Find more top October fun on our fall bucket list for NYC kids or plan a fun getaway with one of these 29 fall day trips from NYC.

We’re adding more events to our Family Activity Calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently.

As always, if an event piques your interest, click through to our listing for all the details, including addresses and times. And keep in mind: Really cool things to do with kids often book up quickly, so register or buy your tickets ASAP.

Get our picks for every weekend in your inbox—sign up for our newsletters.

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See more than 5,000 carved, animal-themed jack-o'-lanterns at the Bronx Zoo's Pumpkin Nights. Photo by Jody Mercier
See more than 5,000 carved, animal-themed jack-o'-lanterns at the Bronx Zoo's Pumpkin Nights. Photo by Jody Mercier

Best Things To Do in NYC this October with Kids

48th Annual Atlantic Antic

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Sunday, October 1
The largest street fest in New York City, the Atlantic Antic, spans 10 blocks of Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue with food and craft vendors, family fun, and amazing performances. This year, for the first time, there is a Mommy Poppins & Brooklyn Bridge Parents Fun Zone sponsored by Prospect Schools between Hicks and Henry Streets. READ MORE

Blessing of the Animals and the Feast of Saint Francis

Morningside Heights–FREE
Sunday, October 1
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine welcomes families to a day of music, prayer, joy, blessings, and fun in honor of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment. READ MORE

Sukkot Harvest Festival

Chelsea
Thursday, October 1
Emanu-El Downtown hosts a joyous Sukkot Harvest Festival Celebration. Romp around the temporary playground with Playground:NYC, learn new skills with ABCirque, arts and try crafts with The Craft Studio. Ramblin' Dan performs, too! READ MORE

Anti-Racist Family Day

Crown Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Thursday, October 5
Stop by the rooftop of the Brooklyn Children's Museum for the third annual Anti-Racist Family Day in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library. Participants learn about age-appropriate anti-racist practices, including celebrating and affirming different races and identities, talking about injustice and fairness in our society, and modeling ways young children can engage in activism. READ MORE

Family Day: 50 Years of Hip-Hop

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, October 7
Carnegie Hall celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and invites families to participate in an afternoon of fun in its Resnick Education Wing. READ MORE

Sunnyside Gardens Park Annual Oktoberfest

Sunnyside, Queens
Saturday, October 7
Sunnyside Gardens Park transforms its picnic grove into an authentic Biergarten with German-style beer, traditional German food, and live music and entertainment for the whole family. READ MORE

Maker Faire

Coney Island, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 7-Sunday, October 8
Head to Coney Island for hands-on exhibits, demonstrations, and workshops in fields such as robotics, crafts, engineering, art, music, 3D-printing, and future technologies, designed by students, teachers, and independent folks who build interesting things. READ MORE

Indigenous Peoples Day

Randall's Island–FREE
Saturday, October 7-Monday, October 9
Head to Randall's Island for a celebration of NYC's indigenous people. This three-day fest includes performances of spoken word, live music, and guest speakers. Food and wares are available for purchase. READ MORE

Queens Theatre's Classical Kids Fair

Flushing, Queens–FREE
Sunday, October 8
WQXR is heading to Queens for a Classical Kids Fair at the Queens Theatre. Families can experience live performances, an instrument “petting zoo,” arts and crafts, radio and dance workshops, and more. READ MORE

Columbus Day Parade

Midtown West
Monday, October 9
The 79th Columbus Day Parade processes up Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 72nd Street—with red carpet performances on Fifth Avenue between 67th and 69th Streets—including high school bands, professional musicians, folk dance troupes, floats, and more.  READ MORE

Hideaway Circus: Reflex

Gramercy Park
Select dates from Wednesday, October 11-Sunday, October 22
Renowned juggler and visual artist Jay Gilligan is the star of Reflex, a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience filled with stunning juggling sequences using Jay’s unique inventions, props, and machines. READ MORE

New York Comic Con

Midtown West
Thursday, October 12-Sunday, October 15
Cosplay, anime, story-telling, and more are on the agenda for NYC's annual comic convention. Kids' day—geared toward ages 6-12—is Sunday, October 15. READ MORE

The Vanishing Elephant

Midtown West
Opens Saturday, October 14
A puppet pachyderm grows from tot to teen to towering adult in an unforgettable tale from the imagination of Belfast’s Cahoots NI. This jumbo journey follows Jenny the elephant as she is captured and taken from India to America, far from her family and her forever friend, Opu. READ MORE

Old Home Day Weekend

Richmond, Staten Island
Saturday, October 14-Sunday, October 15
Head to Historic Richmond Town for the annual Old Home Day. Visitors can witness historic trade demonstrations, like blacksmithing, tinsmithing, carpentry, cabinet-making, and more. Enjoy music, food, crafts, and sweet treats.  READ MORE

La MaMa Kids: The Tale of An-Noor

Lower East Side
Saturday, October 14-Sunday, October 15
The Tale of An-Noor, written and performed by Marina Celander, is the story of a magic bird who flies great distances to visit her friends the Old Tree and the Old River. Told through dance, puppetry and light, An-Noor lets children know that there is magic all around us as long as we keep on dreaming and following the stars. READ MORE

Flatbush Frolic

Flatbush, Brooklyn
Sunday, October 15
One of NYC's largest street fairs, featuring thousands of visitors and hundreds of vendors, Flatbush Frolic dizzies up Cortelyou Road with food, games, pony rides, carnival rides, music, and more.  READ MORE

Carl Schurz Park's Annual Harvest Festival

Upper East Side–FREE
Sunday, October 15
Carl Schurz Park's annual harvest fest packs a punch with plenty of festive fall activities for the whole family. Visit the pumpkin patch on the Mayor's Lawn at East End Avenue and East 88th Street to pick your own pumpkin and decorate it. ​ READ MORE

Day of the Dead...LIVE!

Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Opens Wednesday, October 18
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with diabolical music from classical and popular composers, Mexican and European. It's a one-hour piano performance with larger-than-life puppets, all themed around Halloween and Day of the Dead, accompanied by jugglers, stilt-walkers, ghosts, skeletons, and dancers. READ MORE

Open House New York

Citywide–FREE
Friday, October 20-Sunday, October 22
This year's Open House NYC once again offers a hybrid of virtual experiences, self-guided explorations, and in-person tours. Enjoy food trucks, pop-up eateries, outdoor activations, and more. READ MORE

Brooklyn Bridge Park's Harvest Festival

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, October 21
Celebrate the fall season at the 12th-annual harvest festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park. A fun procession kicks off the event, which includes arts and crafts, storytelling, lawn games, and more—plus BBP's signature pumpkin patch. READ MORE

Family Concert: What is New Orleans Jazz?

Midtown West
Saturday, October 21
Singer Catherine Russell, the daughter of long-time Louis Armstrong associate Luis Russell, leads a family-friendly concert exploring the musical styles of New Orleans—the birthplace of jazz. READ MORE

Halloween on the Harlem Meer: Pumpkin Flotilla

Central Park–FREE
Thursday, October 26
The Harlem Meer comes alive as the sun sets in this annual Halloween favorite. Hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns both spooky and sweet set sail at dusk in New York City's largest pumpkin flotilla. READ MORE

Seaport Kids: Halloween Block Party

Seaport–FREE
Saturday, October 28
Front and Fulton Streets transform into a Halloween-themed block party for kids 2–8 (and the bigger kids who love all things Halloween) with a little help from Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents. READ MORE

One Man Star Wars Trilogy

Flushing, Queens
Saturday, October 28-Sunday, October 29
Canadian actor and uber-geek Charles Ross brings his solo madcap creation One-Man Star Wars Trilogy to the stage, retelling the classic bad hair trilogy in 60 minutes—no costumes, no props, no sets—all the characters, the music, the ships, and the battles. READ MORE

Halloween on the Farm

Floral Park, Queens
Sunday, October 29
Halloween at the Queens County Farm Museum brings a monster mash to life. Costumed kids and their grown-ups are invited for fall-themed farm fun with hayrides, kids crafts, a run through the Amazing Maize Maze, a spooky farmhouse to explore, and best of all: trick-or-treating with furry farm friends. READ MORE

Pumpkin Nights at the Bronx Zoo

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Select dates through Sunday, October 29
Pumpkin Nights at the Bronx Zoo sparkle with more than 5,000 carved, animal-themed pumpkins over a half-mile jack-o’-lantern trail. The evening includes live pumpkin carving demonstrations, games, festive fall treats and food trucks, and fun for all ages.  READ MORE

Mother Goose

Upper East Side
Sundays through October 29
Also Saturday, October 7
The tales of Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and more — nursery rhymes and songs passed down from generation to generation — get a distinctly contemporary retelling in the 92Y's new musical adaptation. READ MORE

DiMenna Historical Halloween Party

Upper West Side
Tuesday, October 31
Kids and their families are invited to get dressed in your Halloween best and head to NY Historical Society's annual evening of hands-on games, spooky and silly stories, historical Hallowe’en crafts, and buckets of candy! READ MORE

The Paw Patrol Experience at CAMP Columbus Circle

Prospect Park, Brooklyn–FREE
Daily through Monday, January 15, 2024
No job is too big; no pup is too small! In CAMP’s immersive experience, kids train to become members of the PAW Patrol’s Junior Patrollers. They’ll run, jump, laugh, and play in a series of obstacle courses and activities, preparing them to assist the PAW Patrol in defending Adventure City. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Brooklyn Children's Museum
Citywide and online
The DiMenna Children's Museum/New-York Historical Society
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